America’s Caribbean Drug War Isn’t Making Much of a Dent | War Is Boring

America’s Caribbean Drug War Isn’t Making Much of a Dent

This article originally appeared at InSight Crime.

The U.S.-backed anti-drug initiative Operation Martillo has been hammering away at drug traffic in Central American waters for over four years, but it is unclear how much of a dent its reported successes have made in organized crime.

Operation Martillo (Spanish for “Hammer”) has been targeting maritime drug trafficking routes along Central America’s coasts since Jan. 15, 2012.

It has contributed to the seizure of 693 metric tons of cocaine, $25 million in cash, 581 vessels and aircraft, and has facilitated the arrest of 1,863 people, according to a press release from U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) — the U.S. military’s Combatant Command responsible for Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean.

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